O‘ahu’s Great Neighborhoods: Mililani
Great for young families in search of space, backyards and good schools at a more affordable price.
O‘ahu’s Great Neighborhoods
Kaimukī | Mililani | Kāne‘ohe | Kaka‘ako | Lē‘ahi | Kapolei/Makakilo | Hawai‘i Kai
O‘ahu is full of notable neighborhoods, each with its own character. Some are havens for urban singles and couples, others for young and growing families. Hot spots for foodies, emerging local businesses, retro charm, outdoor activities, nightlife: Here are seven of our favorites.
Walk path in Ravine Park Mililani Mauka. Photo: Anthony Consillio
In some circles, “suburbia” is a dirty word, evoking images of sprawling, car-centric mazes and endless rows of identical tract homes. So why are millennials moving there en masse? Media like Curbed and Bloomberg point to suburbia not just growing, but also evolving. And on O‘ahu, single-family housing communities are popping up across the island, with young families happily heading there to raise kids in homes they own.
What sets Mililani apart? The answer, interestingly, may be the same today as it was half a century ago, when the idea for the master-planned, spacious and accessible suburban community that would become Mililani was first hatched by Castle & Cooke Hawai‘i.
Ravine Park in Mililani Mauka. Photo: Anthony Consillio
Despite its quintessentially away-from-town reputation, Mililani bucks many of the characteristics that give suburban neighborhoods a bad rap. It’s a remarkably walkable place with well-used trails, tree-lined parks, playgrounds, and recreation centers with pools—the types of amenities that condo dwellers and other progressive urbanites yearn for, only here, they’re stretched comfortably over a 10-square-mile area.
“It’s kind of in between. It’s a place for families.”
—Torie Johnson
Large-scale planning means additional space, and on an island, that’s golden. Especially for young families: For less money than a midlevel Kaka‘ako condo, you can buy a house with spacious yards for pets and kids to tumble in. And despite the image of cookie-cutter dwellings, homes in Mililani come in a surprising range of styles, from patio dwellings with connected back gardens and luxury townhouses with grand fireplaces to raised properties with front porches and wraparound lawns.
Duplex home in Mililani Mauka. Photo: Anthony Consillio
For Torie Johnson, Mililani has been a “middle ground,” a place between the country and town (where she had worked), both in distance, but also ambience. The townhouse she and her husband live in with their toddler has a spacious backyard, smaller than a country farm, but much bigger than an urban lānai. It’s comfortably roomy enough for outdoor gatherings and a small tomato garden, and there’s plenty of space for her dog to roam, too.
Johnson’s neighborhood is not bustling, but it’s not remote, either. She lives within a few minutes’ walk of two elementary schools that are rated among the top 20 in the state, as well as two pools, three playgrounds and three parks. A quiet jogging trail nearby ends right before a small shopping center with a coffee shop, brew pub and ramen spot, where she grabs lunch with her son after a walk.
21 parks 7 recreation centers 1971: the year the first homes in Mililani were completed 19.4% of the population is under 18 2.92 people per household 80.2%: owner-occupied housing rateSources: Castle & Cooke Homes Hawai‘i, U.S. Census Bureau
She loves that Town Center hosts events for kids, and that all of her neighbors also have children. She loves the quiet and space and the safety she says she feels when she’s out on her evening walks. And she loves the farmers market, the hip local shops and restaurants in nearby Wahiawā town and how some of the best beaches in the world are just 20 minutes away.
“It’s kind of in between,” she says. “It’s a place for families.” And perhaps that is the best, simplest way to describe Mililani’s appeal, as an in-between place for urban millennials navigating life after young adulthood and before old age. For them, it’s a time to have children, to raise families, to reach milestones. And to slow down, breathe deeply and stretch out.
